Legal Definitions - required reserve

A required reserve is the minimum amount of money that a bank must hold in the form of vault cash and deposits with regional Federal Reserve Banks, as required by the Federal Reserve Board. This reserve is set aside to ensure that the bank has enough funds to meet depositors' demands and to cover possible losses, such as from defaulting loans.

• A bank is required to hold a certain percentage of its deposits as a reserve. For example, if the reserve requirement is 10%, and a bank has $1 million in deposits, it must hold $100,000 in reserve.
• If a bank fails to maintain the required reserve, it may be subject to penalties or restrictions on its operations.

These examples illustrate how the required reserve is a crucial aspect of a bank's financial management and regulatory compliance. By holding a required reserve, a bank can ensure that it has enough liquidity to meet its obligations and maintain the confidence of its depositors and investors.